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Toronto Maple Leafs Roundtable: Biggest Storylines Out of Training Camp

By Wilbert Timmermans

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 07: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his third period goal at 16:54 with Morgan Rielly #44, William Nylander #88, Auston Matthews #34, Zach Hyman #11 amd Mitchell Marner #16 against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 07, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 07: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his third period goal at 16:54 with Morgan Rielly #44, William Nylander #88, Auston Matthews #34, Zach Hyman #11 amd Mitchell Marner #16 against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 07, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ONTARIO – JULY 28: Frederik Andersen #31 of the Toronto Maple Leafs   (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images) /

Will Cann

The performance of Frederik Andersen will be the biggest story coming out of training camp’s going into the season.

After his first sub-par season, can the great Dane re-focus and push past all the noise in training camp?  Will Freddie Andersen be great again under the pressure of a new contract?

To spin an old Dubas quote; He can and he will.  And let’s be honest, he needs to be if the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to win the North division.

In an article I wrote a week ago, I covered this in detail, making the case that Andersen is primed for a bounce-back season.  In the article, I go in-depth on his career numbers, spoiler alert, they are good and have been remarkably consistent.

One bad year should not overshadow all the success he has had as a Leaf. For those of you who are worried about age?  Wear and tear?  He’s only 30, which is not even close to old for a goalie.  Plus, he only has 5 seasons under his belt as an NHL starter, which is not enough mileage to be worrying about wear and tear.

He’s big, he’s durable, and he’s good. He’s probably going to be good again. It’s ok to give him a mulligan and believe in him again.

The pressure of a new contract? The pressure to succeed? This is Toronto. We eat pressure for breakfast here. Then we do 100 push-ups and wrestle a gigantic raccoon that was trying to eat our garbage.

Well, maybe not, but the pressure just comes with the territory here. Freddie has handled it before and he will handle it again. Frederik Andersen is the key to a division title.  He’s probably also the key to a playoff victory.  I, for one, am excited to see him rebound and be the goalie we all know he can be.

I think this team will win the division and be a force in the playoffs, and Freddie Andersen will the backbone of that success.

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